Behind the wall of the Celestial Platform Sect, He Zhiyu leaned back, her face filled with panic.

"That was close. I was almost discovered."

He Zhiyu never expected Li Zhi to suddenly turn around like that.

But clearly, her risky move had been the right one.

Looking at the candid photo on her phone, He Zhiyu excitedly gripped the device.

’Yes! I’ve got my sweet content, fam!’

’What does the Kissing Association exist for, anyway?’

’For the sweetness, of course!’

While the childhood sweethearts were still on the rooftop admiring the sunset, He Zhiyu had already returned to the classroom with her prize.

"Peipei, I got some sweet stuff!"

Zhuo Peipei was in the middle of editing a gorgeous sunset photo she’d just taken. When she heard that voice, she immediately dropped her phone and shot out of her seat.

"What gives?" Peipei looked at He Zhiyu curiously.

He Zhiyu stealthily took out her phone and presented the photo she had just snapped.

Peipei’s eyes immediately went wide.

The golden sunset, the girl turning around, the boy standing there in a daze.

Sunlight bathed them both, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty.

Peipei glanced at the photo, then back at He Zhiyu.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two, the shock in her eyes plain to see.

"No way, girl."

Peipei’s mouth fell open. "How can those two be so sweet?"

He Zhiyu pursed her lips. To be honest, she couldn’t figure it out either.

"Damn, I’m so used to artificial sweeteners, I’m almost not ready for the real, organic honey."

Peipei was overwhelmed.

The real stuff was just too sweet. Artificial sweeteners couldn’t even begin to compare.

"But Peipei, I feel like this sweetness is just a flash in the pan," He Zhiyu voiced her concern.

But Peipei didn’t think it was a big deal at all. "Whatever. We got our sweet fix for now."

He Zhiyu nodded.

’At least for now, it’s sweet. Deliciously sweet.’

"Oh, right, don’t post this in the group chat," Peipei warned. "Those bastards from the ’No-Dating Alliance’ have spies in there."

He Zhiyu nodded.

"Don’t worry, I get it."

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Li Zhi and Shen Yuan were completely unaware they had just been secretly photographed and turned into ’shipping fuel’.

But you had to hand it to them, the members of the Kissing Association were certainly efficient.

At the very least, their initiative was maxed out.

「On the rooftop.」

Shen Yuan looked at the girl before him and rubbed his nose.

’That feeling just now... it wasn’t fake.’

Although Li Zhi’s actions had been a bit theatrical, Shen Yuan didn’t mind.

’Who would mind having a cute childhood friend, anyway?’

"Did your heart skip a beat just now?"

Shen Yuan looked up to see Li Zhi grinning at him, a mischievous, vixen-like look on her face.

"You’re such a turn-off. What are you even saying?"

Li Zhi didn’t get angry, simply maintaining her provocative expression.

"Tsk. This Young Master was in peak youthful-maiden form just now. That scene was worthy of a whole episode in a Japanese light novel. Are you telling me your heart didn’t skip a beat?"

Shen Yuan tilted his head. "It did. So what?"

"What a turn-off. No wonder you’re so easy to catch."

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes. He knew she was incapable of saying anything nice.

That mouth of hers was pure venom.

"Then why are you trying to hook me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get attached? That if you say no, I’ll resort to crying, screaming, and threatening to kill myself?"

Li Zhi considered the image. It was, admittedly, a bit terrifying.

If Shen Yuan really did start pestering her...

"You wouldn’t stoop that low, would you?"

The pretty girl was getting scared.

Shen Yuan looked at Li Zhi and said seriously, "Li Zhi, what if I really do like you?"

Li Zhi was horrified.

"Don’t be so serious, you asshole!"

Seeing the panic in her eyes, Shen Yuan took a step toward her.

"Zhizhi, I’m serious."

Young Master Li couldn’t take it anymore.

’The mess I made has finally come back to bite me.’

Even though she knew Shen Yuan was most likely just messing with her, the image of that earlier moment made her mind wander.

Seeing her conflicted expression, Shen Yuan figured the joke had gone on long enough.

"No way, no way. Don’t tell me someone *actually* thought that was a real confession?"

Hearing Shen Yuan’s words, Li Zhi’s eyes flashed. Her vast experience in verbal sparring instantly took over.

"Oh, it wasn’t? And here I was, just about to say yes."

For a moment, they stared each other down, scrutinizing every micro-expression, trying to find a crack in the other’s facade.

Shen Yuan’s gaze sharpened. "Then can I take back what I just said?"

"Pfft! You turn-off! What are you even thinking! I’m going back to do my homework."

With that, Li Zhi quickly headed downstairs.

She knew perfectly well she had lost this round.

Shen Yuan’s comeback had caught her completely off guard.

"That jerk Shen Yuan! You just wait!"

Shen Yuan watched her retreating figure, the corners of his mouth turning up in a slight smile.

’Heh. As if you could win against me.’

The two returned to the classroom one after the other, just like any other day.

He Zhiyu stealthily watched the pair of childhood sweethearts.

It was a good thing she’d slipped away when she did. If she had heard the rest of their conversation, her shipper’s heart would have probably shattered.

’Shen Yuan is a failure as a male lead, but is Li Zhi any better?’

’Any sweetness between them is just an act.’

’What sweetness?’

’There is only victory and defeat!’

...

When evening self-study was over, Shen Yuan waited for Li Zhi to pack her bag so they could walk home together, as usual.

It had been raining for the last couple of days, so the late-night snack stalls hadn’t been out, but the rain had stopped today.

On the way home, the fragrant aroma of street food filled the air once more.

"Want to get something to eat?"

Li Zhi shook her head. "Nah, they’re probably using ingredients leftover from the past two days."

Shen Yuan tutted. "Listen to you. As if we weren’t eating leftovers before."

Young Master Li froze for a second.

’He’s got a point!’

"So, wanna get some?"

Shen Yuan nodded. "Let’s get something good?"

"Fried chicken strips."

"Okay, I’ll get a chicken cutlet then."

Hearing "chicken cutlet," Li Zhi’s eyes lit up. "I want one too! With the sweet plum seasoning!"

"Okay, okay, okay."

About ten minutes later, the two were walking home, chicken cutlets and strips in hand.

"Let me try one of yours."

"Here." Li Zhi generously held open her bag of chicken strips.

Shen Yuan took his wooden skewer, plunged it into her bag, and with a decisive stab, speared two pieces.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

Li Zhi yelped in protest.

But before Li Zhi could do anything, Shen Yuan had already popped the chicken into his mouth.

"Shen Yuan, you went too far!" the pretty girl fumed.

Shen Yuan held out his own bag. "Have some of mine. Unlimited supply."

"Hmph!" Li Zhi speared two pieces from his bag and chewed them vengefully.

As they walked home, neither of them mentioned what had happened on the school rooftop earlier that day.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Li Zhi suddenly stopped Shen Yuan.

"Hey!"

"My name isn’t ’Hey,’ it’s Chu Yuqun."

Li Zhi rolled her eyes at his lame joke.

"The monthly exams are in a week. You’d better study hard."

"I know. I’ll definitely score a 620," Shen Yuan said with a confident smile.

Faced with his sudden burst of confidence, Li Zhi had no idea where he was getting it from.

However...

"Confidence is a good thing, but if you don’t make that score..."

A sweet smile spread across Li Zhi’s face. "...you’ll be doing a full set of Huanggang Papers."